Sparks Live on the Moon is the second live album by the American duo Sparks, released on August 14, 2026, through Transgressive Records. It was led by the singles "Whippings and Apologies" and "Lord Have Mercy".
Background and recording Sparks Live on the Moon was recorded in 2025, after the duo finished their tour that year in support of their studio album Mad!. They promoted the live album as having taken place at the Taruntius crater on the Moon. It is the group's first live album of a full concert and their second live album overall, following 2013's Two Hands, One Mouth: Live in Europe.
Content The songs on the live album cover material from Sparks albums as early as A Woofer in Tweeter's Clothing (1972) up to their most recent album Mad! (2025), and it includes a notable songs such as "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", "The Number One Song in Heaven" and "When Do I Get to Sing My Way. Actress Cate Blanchett provided her voice for both the introduction and the outro.
Singles and release Sparks Live on the Moon was preceded by the singles "Whippings and Apologies" on June 15, 2026 and "Lord Have Mercy" the following July 22. The album was released digitally and on CD on August 14, 2026, through Transgressive Records. The double vinyl edition is expected to follow on September 4.
Critical reception
In Classic Rock magazine, Sparks Live on the Moon was rated nine out of ten, with reviewer Sylvie Simmons commenting that the Mael brothers and their backing band sounded "sharp, cool and bonkers as ever". They singled out "So May We Start", "Goofing Off" and "Please Don't Fuck Up My World" as album highlights. Elsewhere, critic Wyndham Wallace, in a four-star review for Classic Pop, said that there was "no shortage of [inspiration] here", citing their performances of No. 1 in Heaven (1979) tracks as prime examples.
Track listing
Notes On digital releases, all tracks are listed with "Live On The Moon" in parentheses.
Personnel Except where noted, credits are adapted from Tidal.
Sparks Russell Mael – vocals, production Ron Mael – synthesizer
Backing band Eli Pearl – guitar Darren Weiss – drums Evan Weiss – guitar Max Whipple – bass
Additional contributors Cate Blanchett – MC ("So May We Start" and "All That") David Wrench – mixing Bill Inglot – mastering Dave Schultz – mastering
Charts + Chart performance for Sparks Live on the Moon Chart (2026) Peakposition Swedish Physical Albums (Sverigetopplistan) 19 UK Albums Sales (Official Charts) 19
References
External links